What are some developments that Interflora have seen during the past 18 months that puts them ahead of their competitors?

In 2014 Interflora.co.uk launched a new affiliate attribution model, the mechanism for rewarding affiliates for orders generated by their marketing activities. We took the decision to change the attribution model to ensure the rewards were being received by those affiliates adding the most value to our customer journey and those who align to our strategic objectives.

How did the old attribution model work?

The previous attribution model which had been in place since the program launched was a ‘Last Click Wins’ model, still the most common attribution model used by merchants. The LCW model rewarded the full commission for a completed sale to the affiliate who had the final interaction at any stage during the purchase process. We recognise this could lead to certain affiliates having their cookies overridden by other affiliates who interact later in the journey. Our analysis found that wasn’t the fairest reward mechanism and did not necessarily reward the affiliates adding the most value.

How did you decide on the new attribution model?

Our primary objectives were to ensure that we work with affiliates that add the most value to Interflora and provide them with an attribution model that rewards them, more fairly!

At first we analysed our affiliates performance and identified which affiliates drove the most value and which affiliates were best aligned to the strategy of the business. This was a great starting point. We then analysed prior performance against a number of different attribution models to ensure we found the one that would achieve the objectives above.

How does it work?

The new ‘Last Click to Basket’ attribution model is similar to the previous model, but affiliates are rewarded on completed orders if they had the final interaction before an item was added to the basket. Our analysis found that affiliates that influence a customer to add an item to the basket provided the most valuable interaction and they should be rewarded if the customer went on to purchase.

How has this affected affiliates?

It’s a simple model and was introduced to reward affiliates who can drive quality traffic to the Interflora website (for example - content, cash back and closed networks) – these sites have enjoyed the additional commissions they perhaps once missed out on due to cookies being overwritten by interactions after the basket stage. Obviously affiliates whose first interaction with a customer happens when they bounce from the Interflora site after they have entered the basket have seen a dramatic drop in commission payments.

Why join the Interflora affiliate program?

If you can support Interflora by promoting our brand in the appropriate manner, can drive quality traffic and encourage customers to purchase, then you can rest assured that you will be rewarded more fairly for your efforts. It’s also worth noting that Brand and Direct clicks are ignored if they occur after the Affiliate click and we have an extremely fast approval process.